NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean announced the government’s new 2035 emissions reduction target in Manly.Credit:Steven Siewert
Until Friday,the government’s own Net Zero Emissions dashboard suggested NSW would fail to meet its 2030 target of a 50 per cent reduction,putting the new 2035 goal well out of reach.
The public dashboard projected NSW would reduce emissions by 48.5 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. By 2035,it projects a decline of 51.7 per cent,far below the 70 per cent target. However,it has since been updated to account for the new 2035 target.
Kean announced the government’s new 2035 pledge in Manly on Friday,flanked by environment minister and local member James Griffin and Member for North Shore Felicity Wilson,who are both facing teal challengers in the upcoming state election.
The treasurer said the new target was expected to attract more than $39 billion in private investment,support 13,000 jobs and put downward pressure on energy prices. He insisted NSW could meet the target,and remained on track to hit its goal of halving emissions from 2005 levels by 2030.
“We were one of the first governments in the country to commit to net-zero by 2050. We then set a 50 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030. Now today,we’re increasing that ambition based on the policies that we already have in place,” he said.
“That’s our electricity infrastructure road map. We’ve got our hydrogen strategy in place. We’ve got our electric vehicle strategy. We’ve got our heavy industry strategy in place,we’ve got our primary industry and agriculture policy legislated in place.”